Angels Must Convince Fans West Is Best

Angel attendance has fallen 200,000 in each of the last two seasons, dropping from 2.5 million in 1998 to 2.3 million in 1999 to 2.1 million in 2000. The Angels hope to get 200,000 back and more this year, but they are the one team that could be hurt most by an unbalanced schedule.

The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers, traditionally big draws in transient Orange County, will make only one visit each this year, instead of two.

The full impact will not be known until September, when the Angels will be playing division rivals with a playoff berth on the line, perhaps, but from a gate standpoint, they seem certain to miss a second visit by the Yankees--if not the Red Sox, Tigers and Cleveland Indians, as well.

The Angels opened at home against the Yankees last year and drew 42,704. They drew more--42,784--for their home opener against the Texas Rangers Tuesday night, but then totaled 34,409 for the next two games against the Rangers, compared to 50,378 for the next two with the Yankees last year. The Yankees returned in August and attracted more than 43,000 for each of three games.

The American League West could be baseball’s most competitive division, with each of the four teams having a title shot, and the Angels are hopeful fans will respond to the increased number of intra-division games--particularly when they close the season with 19 against their three West rivals.

“I think fans will respond to the rivalries,” Tim Mead, the Angels’ vice president of communications, said. “The September games, in particular, have a chance to be so meaningful that we should be able to pick up anything we might lose [through the loss of a second visit by the Yankees, Red Sox, etc.].”

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Scouts working the Thursday night game between the Angels and Rangers at Edison Field were stunned by Rick Helling’s loss of velocity. He seldom was above 84-85 mph on the speed guns and took his third consecutive pounding in a 13-3 Texas loss. The Ranger ace has averaged 16 wins and 215 innings over the last three years, leading the league in pitches thrown each of the last two, but his 6.85 earned-run average and diminished velocity may indicate he has paid a price for that activity.

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Mild booing by Anaheim fans, who apparently would have turned down $252 million if offered, prepared Alex Rodriguez for his return to Seattle starting Monday.

“It was a little bit stronger than I heard last year, but we had a great rivalry with the Angels when I was with Seattle,” Rodriguez said of the Anaheim reaction. “I think fans that passionate are good for baseball.”

In a preemptive effort to curtail abusive behavior during A-Rod’s Seattle return, the Mariners issued a statement Wednesday encouraging fans to greet Rodriguez “in the spirit of good sportsmanship.”

Right.

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Riding the good pitching of Brad Radke, Eric Milton and Joe Mays, the Minnesota Twins emerged from their small-market cocoon to take over the Central Division lead in Week 2, but the celebration was tempered by the state legislature’s killing of another ballpark-financing bill, leaving the Twins headed for Contraction City, perhaps.

The Chicago White Sox, meantime, won three games from the rival Indians, even though starters Rocky Biddle, Jim Parque and Cal Eldred gave up 19 hits and nine earned runs in 11 1/3 innings. Eldred immediately returned to the disabled list, still experiencing elbow problems after a five-inch screw was inserted in September to control a series of stress fractures. He will be replaced by James Baldwin, coming off shoulder surgery.